KANSAS CITY, MO — When considering the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, one might picture heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolate, fragrant flowers and flashy jewelry, but those aren’t the only ways to show love in today’s evolving gifting culture.
Retail bakeries are capitalizing on the holiday by creating flower-adorned or heart-shaped cupcakes and cookies, offering those looking for a sweet treat for their sweethearts plenty of options.
How can a bakery stand out on a holiday full of delicious tokens of affection? Utilizing personal skills to create out-of-the-box offerings that entice new customers might give bakeries that extra edge and keep them coming back for more, even after Valentine’s Day is over.
On a holiday associated with sweet goods, it can be challenging for bakeries that produce savory options to find their niche for the occasion.
At Bagel + Slice, located in Los Angeles, their game is bagels and pizza, as the name suggests, but it doesn’t take a back seat on holidays such as Valentine’s Day.
The shop crafts heart-shaped pizzas during the season of love, ideal for those who lean more toward the savory side of their hearts. Head chef Michael Robles crafted heart-shaped pizzas at his previous place of employment before bringing the idea to Bagel + Slice.
“One day, I made the heart-shaped pizzas, and I only made one but never put it out for the customers,” Michael said. “When I came to Bagel + Slice, I made the special pizzas and put them out for everyone.”
Michael found inspiration for the heart-shaped offering from a desire to provide customers with something special to celebrate the holiday.
“On Valentine’s Day, everybody has flowers or something like that, and I wanted to do something with pizza,” he said. “We get a lot of orders for them because not everybody is doing that.”
Despite the popular opinion that pizza is strictly a savory indulgence, Michael thinks about how to draw in sweet-loving customers with unique toppings.
“We can even do chocolate heart-shaped pizzas with dark chocolate or milk chocolate and marshmallows,” he said.
Michael also highlighted the importance of carefully crafting the heart shape and the effort it takes to perfect it. While crafting the shaped pies comes more easily for him, he emphasizes to his employees that they need to avoid going too fast and to not overwork the dough — no one wants a broken heart on Valentine’s Day.
Flowerbake by Angela, located in Bronxville, NY, creates beautiful baked good floral arrangements that could entice anyone with a sweet tooth.
The bakery’s cupcake bouquets display the frosting-covered goods in a picturesque arrangement, tempting customers to lean away from fresh florals and choose a sweeter alternative.
Other bakeries, such as Far Breton Bakery in Madison, WI, have begun hosting Valentine’s Day baking classes to appeal to customers who may not be indulging in tangible goodies, but rather on experiences.
“The goal of the workshop is to demystify the pastry arts and make it an accessible skill set for anyone who loves to cook and/or bake,” said Marie Young, professional pastry chef and owner of Far Breton Bakery.
While many customers are aware of the traditional baked goods synonymous with holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, Marie shared there are desserts associated with Valentine’s Day worth learning about.
“Due to our other commitments with seasonal farmers markets, it makes sense to offer classes in January and February, and I wanted to offer some classes that were seasonally appropriate,” Marie said.
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to receive personalized instruction and will leave the bakery with their own finished products and recipes, all included in the class fee.
“We will cover several types of custards that use either gelatin, cornstarch or egg as the stabilizing ingredient,” she said. “We will also be covering some basic sugar cooking formulas to achieve different results.”
Not only do baking workshops bring in new and existing customers, but they also allow bakeries like Far Breton to generate sales during a slower period and pass on their passions to those eager to learn.
By adapting holiday traditions to suit their skills and expertise, bakeries can entice new customers and satisfy their regulars with innovative ways to celebrate their loved ones.
